June 19, 2012 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Somali tale of two cities as Mogadishu’s vulnerable miss out on progress

18 Jun – Source: Guardian – 1001 words

Somalia’s capital is enjoying something of a boom after more than two decades of conflict and chaos, but many displaced Somalis are still living in camps and on the streets.

At Mogadishu’s port, battered trucks without headlights and windscreens are piled with sacks and tyres, and parked beside a ship from the Comoros islands. Workers clamber on to crooked cabs to strap orange tarpaulins over the loads.

Key Headlines

UK facilitates first ever Somaliland-TFG direct talks (Somaliland Press)
Al Shabaab cries foul as allied forces close in Bal’ad town (Bar-Kulan)
Fighting renewed in Gedo region south west Somalia (Shabelle)
Somalis pay tribute to Saudi crown prince (Al Arabiya)
Somalia war dents Kenya’s ranking in Failed States index (Daily Nation)
Somali suicide bomber kills Senior Yemen Commander in South (AFP)
Somali tale of two cities as Mogadishu’s vulnerable miss out on progress (Guardian)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali premier meets traditional elders in Mogadishu

18 Jun- Source: Radio Mogadishu/SONNA/ Somaliweyn/ Jowhar Onlinine/ Radio Kulmiye-118 words

PM Abdiweli Mohamed Ali on Monday had a meeting with traditional elders assigned to select representatives to approve the upcoming constitution.

Addressing the meeting, H.E Abdiweli Mohamed Ali called on the Somali traditional elders to quickly put on show documents for the representatives choosing the 825 members.

Ministry of constitution says it will soon approve draft constitution

18 Jun- Source: Radio Mogadishu- 109 words

Ministry of constitution and federal affairs has revealed that 1st July next month would start the process of showing and approving the draft constitution by the representatives assigned to that task..

State minister of the constitution, H.E. Hassan Mohamed Jam’a told Radio Mogadishu that all activities relating to the draft constitution are going on as they were intended and planned and in the final stages.

UK facilitates first ever Somaliland-TFG direct talks

18 Jun – Source: Somaliland Press – 127 words

In a breakthrough development, Somaliland and TFG are set to initiate first formal talks on intricate bilateral issues in an effort to finally end the saber-rattling between the two nations, Somaliland Press reports. The strategic dialogue was first proposed by the British government during a conference on Somalia held in London on 23 February 2012. The final communiqué recognized the need for negotiations between Hargeisa and Mogadishu “in order to clarify their future relations.”

Al Shabaab cries foul as allied forces close in Bal’ad town

18 Jun – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 141 words

Al Shabaab militant group has for the first time revealed its fear for the possible fall of Middle Shabelle region into the Somali government’s hand a time the African Union and Somali forces are saying they are closing in parts of the region. Speaking at a mosque in Jowhar town on Sunday, the group’s leader in the region, Yussuf Isse (Kaba ku-tukade) reportedly urged locals to stay calm and work with his militant group.

Fighting renewed in Gedo region, south west Somalia

18 Jun – Source: Shabelle – 92 words

Heavy fighting broke out between Somali government troops allied with Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a (ASWJ) fighters and al Shabaab militants at townships in Gedo region of southwestern Somalia, reports. Witnesses said, the battle started after Somali government soldiers and ASWJ fighters attacked a convoy of vehicles carrying al Shabaab militants at Tulo-Barwaqo area in Gedo region, controlled by the Islamists.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somalis pay tribute to Saudi crown prince

18 Jun – Source: Al Arabiya – 267 words

Somalis have paid rich tributes to Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz for his contribution in aiding the poor grappling a hunger crisis in the east African country.

The Saudi Crown Prince died in Geneva on Saturday and was buried on Sunday in the holy city of Mecca, his funeral having been attended by world leaders, including Somali President Sheikh Ahmed and a number of his cabinet ministers.

Somalia war dents Kenya’s ranking in Failed States index

18 Jun- Source: Daily Nation- 332 words
Violence linked to Kenya’s “entanglement” in Somalia is among the reasons cited for the country’s poor rating in the 2012 “failed states index” issued on Monday by a US-based think tank.

Kenya is again ranked No. 16 among 177 countries evaluated by the Fund for Peace in an annual survey published by Foreign Policy magazine.

Candidates line up for Somalia presidential poll

17 Jun- Source: NTV (Kenya)-2:07 words

In two months, Somalis could go to the polls to elect a new president, ushering in a new era for a nation scarred by war. Large swathes of the country have been liberated from al-shabaab control with the capital Mogadishu now deemed safe enough for investment. The elections will be the first for Somalia in two decades and as NTV’s Harith Salim reports, aspirants are already wooing voters.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali suicide bomber kills Senior Yemen Commander in South

18 Jun – Source: AFP – 178 words

A suicide bomber on Monday killed the army general spearheading a blistering offensive against Al-Qaeda in south Yemen, throwing himself on the officer’s vehicle as he blew himself up, officials said. The attack on General Salem Ali Qoton came as Al-Qaeda fled its last bastion in Yemen’s restive southern and eastern provinces in the face of the military’s month-long withering assault aimed at destroying the jihadist network.

Somalia tops failed states index for fifth year

18 Jun – Source: CNN News – 270 words
Six African nations are in the top 10 of an annual failed-state index, including Somalia, which heads the list for the fifth straight year after continued struggles with lawlessness and piracy.
Somalia tops the 2012 Failed States Index because of “widespread lawlessness, ineffective government, terrorism, insurgency, crime, and well-publicized pirate attacks against foreign vessels,” the list’s compiler, Washington-based nonprofit Fund for Peace, said on its website Monday.

Somali tale of two cities as Mogadishu’s vulnerable miss out on progress

18 Jun – Source: Guardian – 1001 words

Somalia’s capital is enjoying something of a boom after more than two decades of conflict and chaos, but many displaced Somalis are still living in camps and on the streets.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“I was born in Congo however left there when I was 2 years old. I cannot state I am from Congo because I have no memories of Congo nor can I speak the local language. I spent my early childhood in Uganda, however I cannot say I am from Uganda either. Although I somewhat know the culture and language, the fact is that I was born elsewhere and not in Uganda. The Next country is United States of America. I came to the U.S when I was 11 years old and lived here since. Although I speak the English language fluently and know the American culture thoroughly, I cannot confidently say I am American. The closest I have come to referring to myself as American is when I say I am Somali-American.”

In Search of Identity

18 June- Source: Hiiraan Online-666 Words

Throughout my lifetime, I was continuously asked where I am originally from. This question possesses a unique answer from me. This question is asked by various people trying to understand where you originate from. When individuals see our beautiful headscarves, our unique clothing, our intriguing culture, or our foreign language, they automatically become curious about our ancestors. When I am asked where I am from, one answer comes to mind, which is Somalia. One might think since my name, culture, tradition, and language is Somali I would be Somali. That’s exactly how I personally feel, However, to the rest of the world it is perceived differently.