January 2, 2014 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

President Hassan: security has improved in the last year

01 Jan- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 121 words
Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has stated that the security situation in the country has significantly improved during his tenure in office. In an interview with Bar-kulan, the president said that his government has reformed and overhauled the security sector of the country in the past year. The president stated that his government has also increased the monthly salary of its troops since his government came into power in late 2012. He noted that increased tax revenues and a surge of international financial assistance helped the government reshape its security sector. Meanwhile, the president hailed the overall improvement of the security, health and education sectors as a great achievement for his government.

Key Headlines

Prime Minister visits Ministry of Defence on New Year’s Day (Office of the Prime Minister)
Security heightened in Mogadishu(Radio Dalsan)
Puntland parliamentarians sworn-in Interim speaker elected(Hiiraan Online)
Galkayo Deputy Mayor injured in bomb attack (Radio Bar-Kulan)
Talks between Somalia-Somaliland to kick off in Turkey soon says Somali president( BBC)
Puntland names new MPs to pick new president (AFP)
Puntland names new MPs to pick new president (Standard Media)
11 dead as Mogadishu hotel targeted by bombs(Reuter)

PRESS STATEMENT

Prime Minister visits Ministry of Defence on New Year’s Day

01 Jan- Source: Office of the Prime Minister- 305 words
His Excellency Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed made his first visit to the Ministry of Defence on New Year’s Day.
The Prime Minister toured the Ministry of Defence and viewed equipment of the Somali security forces before meeting with the Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Forces and other senior military officers to discuss the ongoing re-building and modernisation of the Somali security forces and future operations against al Shabaab. The Prime Minister then visited Jazeera Military Training Camp to speak to more than 800 new Somali National Army recruits.
The Prime Minister, said: “I thank the officers, soldiers and recruits of the Somali security forces for their brave service, hard work and commitment to our country. They serve their country despite the limited resources at their disposal and are an example to all of us.
“2014 will be the year of success in destroying the terrorists that only want to bring indiscriminate violence and instability to Somalia. Alongside our AMISOM partners we will continue to make progress in liberating areas of Somalia still under Al-Shabaab control.
“Looking back, 2013 has been a challenging year as we started the long process of rebuilding our country and institutions but also a year when our country pulled together. As a country we have re-emerged on the world stage and continued to build on the security gains made by the Somali security forces and AMISOM. Our economy is growing and foreign investors now see Somalia as an attractive investment opportunity. We have witnessed schools and hospitals reopen and health programs begin to be rolled out across the country. This progress is down to the extraordinary efforts of ordinary Somalis.
“My government will build on the successes and progress made in 2013 as we continue to build a new Somalia.”

SOMALI MEDIA

President Hassan: security has improved in the last year

Security heightened in Mogadishu

01 Jan- Source: Radio Dalsan/Radio Risaala-129 words
Security in the Somalia’s capital Mogadishu has been intensified for fear of attacks from the al Shabaab militia group. Heavy presence of Somali security personnel have been seen patrolling the major streets in the capital Mogadishu. Special Forces were also deployed to secure government buildings, presidential palace, Mogadishu municipality headquarters, Mogadishu harbor and Aden Abdulle international airport. This comes following warning by al Shabaab spokesman for operation and commands Abdulaziz Musab who called upon Somali citizens to avoid social areas and important government installations referring to possible attacks by the group in the New Year eve. On Tuesday night, armed gunmen suspected to be al Shabaab members broke into a wedding ceremony and destroyed the musical instruments while forcing the participants to disperse without causing major harm.

Puntland parliamentarians sworn-in, Interim speaker elected

01 Jan- Source: Hiiraan Online/Garowe Online- 224 words

The new lawmakers of Puntland, a regional administration in northeastern Somalia, were sworn in on Wednesday after clan elders submitted their 66 representatives, a move subsequently approved by the region’s traditional elders. The swearing in ceremony was attended by several presidential contenders, including the incumbent President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole and former Prime Minister of Somalia Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas.

Galkayo Deputy Mayor injured in bomb attack

01 Jan- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Gaalkacyo/Radio RBC- 119 words

The Deputy Mayor of Galkayo, Abdi Osman Farah has been injured in a bomb explosion which was planted outside his home on Tuesday in Galkayo. The deputy mayor has reportedly sustained minor injuries after the bomb exploded outside of his home in Garsor neighborhood. He was rushed to the main hospital in Galkayo for treatments and no one has claimed responsibility of the attack so far. However, the Mayor of Galkayo, Ahmed Ali Salad has accused al Shabaab of carrying out the attack and said that the security officers are now investigating the incident. At least five suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack. Galkayo which lies 700 KM from Mogadishu has seen sporadic explosions and grenade attacks in recent times.

Talks between Somalia-Somaliland to kick off in Turkey soon, says Somali president

01 Jan- Source: Somaliland Informer/BBC Somali Service- 218 words
The president of Somalia Mr. Hassan Sh. Mohamud has announced that the talks between Somaliland and Somalia will kick off once again in Turkey in January clearing confusion about the fate of the talks which many Somali and Somaliland media wrote articles stating that the talks were on the verge of collapse due to pressure and motion that the Members of Somali parliament were about to table before the parliament. The president has spoken to the media on the occasion of the new year 2014 and touched number of issues ranging from al Shabaab, the election in Puntland and the ongoing dialogue between Somali government and the republic of Somaliland. The president has welcomed the progress and the free and fair elections that is expected to take place in Puntland. He encouraged puntland community to refrain from divisions and any acts that may lead the country to slide back to chaos. He urged the newly elected Puntland lawmakers to pick the right person for the presidency and who will do a lot for the state.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Puntland names new MPs to pick new president

01 Jan- Source: Daily Nation/AFP- 295 Words
Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region has named a new parliament whose members will next week vote in a new president, amid widespread fears the poll will trigger violence. The lawmakers — 65 men and one woman — were appointed by clan elders, and will choose the next president on January 8, 2014. Poverty-stricken Puntland forms the tip of the Horn of Africa and makes up around a third of Somalia’s territory. It is struggling to rebuild after years of war as well as to stamp out pirate bases along its lawless coast and to battle al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents.

Fires razes Ifo refugee camp

31 Dec- Source: Standard Media-405 Words
Refugees at Ifo refugee camp in Dadaab, North Eastern are counting losses after their main market was burnt down in a mysterious fire incident. The fire broke out at Kosovo market, which is the main center at the refugee camp on Monday night and burnt down several structures. Police said no one was injured in the incident but the refugees lost their valuables. Garissa County head of CID Musa Yego said they are yet to know what caused the fire. “Many structures were burnt down in the incident and we are yet to know what caused it. Fortunately no injury was reported,” said Yego. The fire broke out ahead of the planned repatriation of refugees to Somalia beginning January 2014. According to the UNHCR’s data, there are 474, 483 Somali refugees residing in Kenya.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

11 dead as Mogadishu hotel targeted by bombs

01 Jan- Source: Reuters/AFP/AP/RTE- 595 words
Three bombs that exploded within an hour outside a hotel in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killed at least 11 people and the death toll was expected to rise higher. At least 17 other people were injured in the triple blasts. “At least 11 people are dead and 17 others are wounded. That is what we have carried,” Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director of a private ambulance service told Reuters. The first two bombs came in quick succession and were followed by heavy bursts of gunfire by Somali security forces. The third blast took place about an hour later when a bomb went off inside a car that was being searched by the military. Police officer Ahmed Ali told AP that the bombs exploded Wednesday night outside the Jazeera Hotel near Mogadishu’s international airport. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for it, but the al Qaeda-linked militants of al Shabaab frequently stage lethal attacks near the seat of government and at sites popular with foreigners. The Jazeera Hotel is frequently used by expatriates and government officials.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Peace-building process in Somalia’s post-transition is not an easy task, but if there is a commitment from the leaders to initiate a genuine reconciliation, put together a unified vision for nation building with strong and effective security sector and judiciary system, peace-building is possible once again in Somalia.”

Post-Transition Somalia: Infredients for Peace-Building

01 Jan- Source: Amb. Shinn Blog-129 Words
Abukar Sanei, director of the Columbus, Ohio-based Center for Policy Analysis and Research, an independent Somali-American think tank, published on 1 January 2014 a research paper titled “Post-Transition Somalia: Ingredients for Peace-Building.” Sanei argues there are four ingredients for peace-building in Somalia: genuine reconciliation, a unified vision for state-building, effective security apparatus, and a strong judiciary system. He also argues there is a need for two types of genuine reconciliation. The first is public reconciliation to heal the wounds of civil war. The second is political reconciliation among Somali leaders.