June 17, 2014 | Morning Headlines.
President Hassan address parliament, admits failures
16 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Goobjoog – 133 words
The president of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Mondayaddressed the parliament in an extra-ordinary meeting. In his speech he presented wide range issues including security, the powers of the legislative and the executive arms. President Hassan who was earlier blamed to have failed fulfilling the six pillars of his government by more 130 lawmakers, on Monday admitted the raised failures and promised to bring tangible changes. He added that he has full confidence and trust with the government led by Abdiweli Sheikh that came to office through his appointment and the support of the federal parliament. He said that the parliament has the right of oversight role and accountability with the government and he will soon introduce new mechanisms that will speed up the accountability with the government.
Key Headlines
- President Hassan address parliament admits failures (Radio Mogadishu/Goobjoog)
- International Day of the African Child marked in Mogadishu (Radio Mogadishu/Bar-kulan)
- Somali militants al Shabaab claim Kenya attacks (Africa Review/Daily Nation/Capital FM)
- 3 killed and more than 10 wounded near Kismayo (Somali Current)
- Terror suspect arrested in Mara charged (Daily Nation)
- Opposing sides meet in Marka (Radio Shabelle)
- Interim Jubba Administration builds new settlements for IDPs
- At least 50 killed as Somali militants target hotels bank and police station in Kenya town (RT News)
SOMALI MEDIA
President Hassan address parliament, admits failures
16 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Goobjoog – 133 words
The president of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday addressed the parliament in an extra-ordinary meeting. In his speech he presented wide range issues including security, the powers of the legislative and the executive arms. President Hassan who was earlier blamed to have failed fulfilling the six pillars of his government by more 130 lawmakers, on Monday admitted the raised failures and promised to bring tangible changes. He added that he has full confidence and trust with the government led by Abdiweli Sheikh that came to office through his appointment and the support of the federal parliament. He said that the parliament has the right of oversight role and accountability with the government and he will soon introduce new mechanisms that will speed up the accountability with the government.
International Day of the African Child marked in Mogadishu
16 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Bar-kulan – 136 words
A colourful event to commemorate the International Day of the African Child has been held in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The event was organized by Somalia’s Ministry of Education and was attended by members from the federal parliament, cabinet ministers and officials from the country’s education sector. Speaking at the event, Acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, Prof. Mohamed Ibrahim Tohow highlighted the significance of this day in the continent and particularly in Somalia. He noted that Somali child has every right for basic education and added that his ministry will strive to address the appalling conditions facing Somali children in many parts of the country. In 1991, the former Organization of African Union declared 16th June as the International Day of the African Child which is marked every year in the African continent.
3 killed and more than 10 wounded near Kismayo
16 Jun – Source: Somali Current – 92 words
At least three people have been killed and more than ten others injured in clashes between the Interim Juba Administration security forces and armed militia in Alanley neighborhood near Kismayo. Medical sources in Kismayo general hospital have told local media that casualties brought in for treatment are largely civilians caught up in the exchange of heavy fire as well as some of the fighting sides. The violence is said to be resulted when Juba Land security forces tried to disarm the armed militia in the Alanley near the port city of Kismayo.
Opposing sides meet in Marka
16 Jun – Source: Radio Shabelle – 84 words
According to news reports from Marka of the Lower Shabelle region, Somali Federal Government officials hosted meetings in the town with opposing clan elders that are fighting in the region. Sources in Marka have informed Radio Shabelle that an agreement was not established during the talks and that they were unable to ‘understand’ each other. Nur Diriye Elmi told Radio Shabelle that the Minister of Defence and his delegation have ordered the elders to remove all militias in Marka and deploy government soldiers.
Interim Jubba Administration builds new settlements for IDPs
16 Jun – Source: Bar-kulan – 104 words
Interim Jubba Administration officials have stated to have resettled thousands of displaced families in Kismayo to newly built settlements in the northern part of the port city. Second deputy of Interim Jubba Administration leader, Suldan Abdulkadir Luga-dhere who spoke to Bar-kulan said that his administration has successfully managed to resettle more than 4 thousand families to the northern part of the city. He added that the interim administration has built houses, toilets and wells for the displaced families in their new settlements. The newly resettled families have previously been living in more than 50 camps in Kismayo, the administrative capital of Interim Jubba Administration.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Somali militants al Shabaab claim Kenya attacks
16 Jun – Source: Africa Review/Daily Nation/Capital FM – 117 words
Somali militants al Shabaab have reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack in Kenya that left at least 48 people dead. Mogadishu’s independent Shabelle media Monday quoted the terror group making the claim through its various communication channels. The al Shabaab were reportedly on a revenge mission for the killing of Islamic clerics at the Kenya coast. The Sunday night attackers targeted hotels, restaurants and government offices in a Kenyan coastal town of Mpeketoni. On Monday, Mr Mwenda Njoka, the director of Communications at the Interior Ministry, confirmed that the number of bodies retrieved is now at 48. Heavily armed gunmen stormed into the town of Mpeketoni, near the coastal island and popular tourist resort of Lamu, late on Sunday.
Terror suspect arrested in Mara charged
16 Jun – Source: Daily Nation – 144 words
A suspected member of the al Shabaab arrested in Masaai Mara Game reserve was Monday charged in a Nairobi court with plotting terror attacks in the country. Mr Abdi Rizzack Muktar Edow faced five counts of terrorism linking him to an attack in Mandera on June 1, 2014 where security agents reportedly killed two “renowned al Shabaab members”. He is also accused of holding a radicalisation meeting scheduled forFebruary 2 at the Masjid Musa mosque where he allegedly invited people “to further the cause of the terror group.” The prosecution said Mr Muktar owned a saloon car which he hired to one Sheikh Hassan on May 31, a day before the vehicle was intercepted at a roadblock where its occupants defied an order to stop, prompting an exchange of gunfire that led to the death of the two known al Shabaab members.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
At least 50 killed as Somali militants target hotels, bank and police station in Kenya town
16 Jun – Source: RT News – 126 words
Dozens of Somali extremists besieged a small Kenyan coastal town for hours, slaughtering at least 50 people during an assault which saw a police station, banks, restaurants, government offices and hotels razed to the ground. The assault kicked off around 8pm local time (17:00 GMT) on Sunday night as residents in the town of Mpeketoni were watching World Cup matches on TV and security forces were caught unawares. Gunmen with covered faced reportedly threw explosives in the local police station before entering and stealing several weapons. The extent of the damage is wide-ranging, with social media showing images of banks, petrol stations and cafes completely burnt out. Major news agencies have also reported two hotels, banks, restaurants and government offices being decimated in the attacks.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“It is soothing to help keep something alive when it feels like your country is dying. The tortoises were serene and simple. Somalia is neither. There is also something about the story of an animal’s survival — or demise — as a symbol for a wartorn country.”
What an aging tortoise says about Somalia
16 Jun – Source: Toronto Star – 803 words
No one knows exactly when The Communist was born, but it was many decades ago, when the Italians ruled Mogadishu and brought with them pasta and cappuccinos and built boardwalks and majestic ivory white hotels along the beach. The hotels are just ruins today, battered by RPGs and the AK47 crossfire of battling warlords and terrorists, yet still they stand sentry on Mogadishu’s coastline like prizefighters who refuse to be knocked down. The Communist, or Shuuci as her name is in Somali, is a little beat-up too, but still standing. Or rather, crawling. The massive, blind tortoise, with a long gash in her shell, ambles slowly around the Radio Mogadishu compound, stopping to tuck her head into her shell if the noise gets too loud, or a stranger too close. She’s 80 years old, or maybe 90, no one is sure. When Abdisalaan Ali Mataan started working at the government broadcaster in 1992, the tortoise had already been named The Communist, a moniker given to someone prickly and stubborn. Her larger, gentler male partner was called Gobanimoddon, The Freedom Fighter. Mataan is a lanky 44-year-old journalist and animal lover with a voice that makes everything he says sound like a secret.