June 21, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Council of Ministers appoints five new Somali Ambassadors

20 Jun- Source: Office of the Prime Minister- 275 words

In its weekly meeting, the Council of Ministers, chaired by His Excellency the Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, today endorsed the appointment of five new Ambassadors in support of the government’s effort to strengthen diplomatic relations.

Boosting the relationship between Somalia and Italy will be Gen. Musa Hassan Abdulle, a senior Somali military servicemen and current member of the Federal Parliament. Former Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmed Abdisalam Adan, is appointed to be the new Somali Ambassador to Ethiopia, whilst the current Ambassador, Said Yusuf Nur, is reappointed from Ethiopia to Tanzania.

The other new Council appointed diplomats are Ali Said Faqi, Somali Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, and Nuur Farah Hersi who is appointed to Malaysia.

“We are determined to improve the work of our Foreign Ministry and to boost the relationships we enjoy with these countries. The new Ambassadors are people who have given our country distinguished service and will represent the Somali interest with honour”, said the Prime Minister after the Council meeting.

The Council also appointed a committee to lead the national holidays celebrated on June 26 and July 1st. The committee consisting of five ministers, two officials from the Office of The Prime Minister and the Mayor of Mogadishu will organize the celebrations to celebrate the Somali spirit.

The Council of Ministers reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to improve security and condemned the terrorist attacks on the UN compound yesterday. His Excellency Abdullahi Elmoge Hirsi, Minister of Information, Post, Telecommunication and Transport, told media after the Council meeting that the Government will adopt new counter terrorist methods to improve security.

Key Headlines

AMISOM begins 4-day capacity building workshop for Somali legislators (AMISOM)
Joint troops praised for quick response on Mogadishu attack (Radio Mogadishu/SNTV)
Somalia’s al Shabaab militants in ‘deadly feud’ (BBC)
Puntland Strongly Condemns Terrorist Attack on UN Compound in Mogadishu ( Garowe Online)
Two al Shabaab groups fight in Barawe (Radio Bar-kulan)
Threat level was high before UN attack in Somalia (AP)
Capacity Building Workshop for Somali legislators kicks off in Mogadishu (Radio Mogadishu)
Somali art exhibition portrays war (Al Jazeera)
Somalia bets big on port and airport to resurrect war-wrecked economy (East African)
EU Condemns Attack On UN Compound In Somali Capital (RTT News)
Norway strongly condemns attack on UN in Somalia (regjeringen)

PRESS STATEMENT

Council of Ministers appoints five new Somali Ambassadors

20 Jun- Source: Office of the Prime Minister- 275 words

The other new Council appointed diplomats are Ali Said Faqi, Somali Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, and Nuur Farah Hersi who is appointed to Malaysia.

AMISOM begins 4-day capacity building workshop for Somali legislators

20 Jun- Source: AMISOM- 246 words

A workshop on local administration, security and governance for Somali legislators today kicked off in Mogadishu, Somalia.

The 4-day workshop organized by AMISOM’s Political Unit was officially opened by the AU Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif.

Amb. Annadif called for a moment of silence to be observed at the onset of the ceremony in honour of the victims of yesterday’s terror attack on the United Nations Common Compound.

The workshop will be attended by members of parliament from the Committee on National Security, Interior and Governance, their administrative staff and other members of the House. It is intended to give the committee members an overview of the key concepts to enhance their oversight role.

As part of AMISOM’s mandate to assist the Federal Government of Somalia in establishing effective and legitimate governance, this workshop will provide technical knowhow to the legislators as they will be taken through the concepts of national security, local administration and federalism drawing from lessons learnt and global best practices.

Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif reiterated AMISOM’s commitment to the legislators as they deal with the daunting task of establishing parliament as an effective arm of the government.

“Parliament also known as the House of the People and its members have a critical role to play in Somalia to consolidate the political and security gains made so far through legislation and oversight of government policies, in Somalia’s quest for peace and stability,” said Ambassador Annadif.

The workshop will be facilitated by local and regional experts.

SOMALI MEDIA

Joint troops praised for quick response on Mogadishu attack

20 Jun- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu/SNTV- 112 words

Somali National Army and AU peacekeeping forces have been praised for their quick response to Wednesday’s deadly Mogadishu attack on UN office in the bullet-ridden Somali capital. Somali Federal government leaders, UN official and AU members pay tribute to the joint troops for their quick response in attack to the UN headquarters by al Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab members. Somali troops aided by African Union Mission to Somalia immediately arrived at the scene of the incident, carrying out a massive operation to save the lives of those trapped inside the compound as the joint forces successfully took control of the whole area. The toll of those killed in UN office in Mogadishu on Wednesday hits 22.

Puntland Strongly Condemns Terrorist Attack on UN Compound in Mogadishu

20 Jun- Source: Garowe Online- 124 words

Puntland Government condemns in the strongest terms the heinous and evil attack on the U.N. compound in Mogadishu on June 19th, where scores of people were killed in a violent attack launched by al Shabaab terrorists. The people and Government of Puntland send sincere condolences to the victims’ families, and to the Somali President and the United Nations. As in the past, al Shabaab terrorists used suicide explosions and shootings to commit this unjustifiable and unspeakable act of terrorism.

Two al Shabaab groups fight in Barawe

20 Jun- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Shabelle/ Kulmiye/BBC Somali Service- 119 words

Clashes between rival groups of al Qaeda-linked Somali militant group al Shabaab reportedly erupted in Barawe town of Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia on Thursday. Confirming the incident, locals told Bar-kulan that militias loyal to the top al Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane clashed with another group in support of Hassan Dahir Aweys and Mukhtar Robow. Reports add that foreign fighters have been killed in the battle, as tension in the area remains high. Though the exact motive of the clash is not yet known, it’s believed that a dispute which has emerged between the top leadership of the group has resulted the tension. Hassan Dahir Aweys has recently accused Ahmed Abdi Godane (better known as Abu-Zubier) of misusing the group’s authority.

Capacity Building Workshop for Somali legislators kicks off in Mogadishu

20 Jun- Source: Radio Mogadishu- 89 words

A workshop on local administration, security and governance for Somali legislators kicked off Thursday in Mogadishu, Somalia. The 4-day workshop organized by AMISOM’s Political Unit was officially opened by the African Union Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif. The workshop will be attended by members of parliament from the Committee on National Security, Interior and Governance, their administrative staff and other members of the House.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somali art exhibition portrays war

20 Jun- Source: Al Jazeera- 1:38 min

An art exhibition documenting the impact of war on cultural heritage has opened in Somalia. The event is allowing Somali artists to put their stories on canvas. They hope to encourage young artists to express their real lives on canvas and thereby reject the ways of violence. Al Jazeera’s Dominic Kane reports.

Somalia bets big on port and airport to resurrect war-wrecked economy

20 Jun- Source: East African- 485 words

Aboard Jubba Airways, a rickety plane filled with a cacophony of Somalis all speaking at the same time, we landed in Mogadishu. A port that has for centuries been a major transit point in trade with other nations. The ancient silk routes lured many to its shores. It became cosmopolitan. It was fought over by the British and the Italians with the Italians managing to keep it. They built whitewashed stucco buildings and turned it into a boisterous playground. Nowadays, all that is left of that era is ruins of once magnificent buildings, some partially, others totally destroyed.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somalia’s al Shabaab militants in ‘deadly feud’

20 Jun- Source: BBC- 330 words

Heavy fighting has taken place between rival factions of Somalia’s militant Islamist group al Shabaab near the key coastal town of Brava, witnesses say. Six militants, including two foreigners, were killed in the gun-battle at dawn, they told the BBC. Al Shabaab denied there had been any fighting within its ranks. If confirmed, these would be the first clashes between rival factions of the al Qaeda linked group since it launched an insurgency in 2006.

Threat level was high before UN attack in Somalia

20 June- Source: AP-764 Words

During the years when Mogadishu resembled one big battlefield, the U.N. and other aid workers trying to improve Somalia often lived in the comfortable, modern and largely safe capital of Kenya. As security improved in Mogadishu over the last two years and the lives of Somalis returned to a semblance of normal, those jobs began shifting from Nairobi back to Mogadishu.

On Wednesday, a truck bomb and gunfire attack by al Shabaab militants on the main U.N. compound in Mogadishu killed eight U.N. employees and five Somali civilians, showing just how dangerous that shift has been. A U.N. official told The Associated Press on Thursday that in the weeks preceding the attack the threat level had been elevated around the city’s airport, the heart of military and diplomatic efforts in the city. The militant attack took place just across the street.

EU Condemns Attack On UN Compound In Somali Capital

20 June- Source: RTT News-521 Words

The European Union has strongly condemned Wednesday’s deadly attack on the U.N. compound in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, and denounced such attacks aimed at destabilizing the Horn of Africa nation. According to the U.N. Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), a pickup truck packed with explosives was detonated outside the gate of the U.N. Common Compound, where humanitarian and development workers reside and work.

Norway strongly condemns attack on UN in Somalia

20 Jun- Source: regjeringen-289 words

Norway strongly condemns the attack on the UN compound in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. “This was a cowardly attack against UN organisations that are providing support and assistance to a very hard-hit population,” said Minister of International Development Heikki Eidsvoll Holmås. The UN Common Compound in Mogadishu was hit by a terrorist attack on June 19 2013. Several people were killed in the attack.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“The most important work that is expected from the President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Somali Parliament is how to exploit the positive environment that prevails in the Horn of Africa, which many have seen it as a chance to achieve a permanent peace and stability in the region.”

The Horn of Africa: Hope is something to be happy with

19 June- Source: Hiiraan Online-1592 Words

The neighbour is not an object that one chooses, like a shirt. Good or bad neighbours are there to stay whether one likes it or not. In the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia on one side and Ethiopia and Kenya, on the other, their relations have been sour due to territorial dispute. But since the change of leaderships in the three countries hope for better understanding is high. Somalia has a new President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Kenya has a new President, Uhuru Kenyatta and Ethiopia has a new Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn. Somalia’s Federal Government which came to power in September 2012 has put forward a 6 points’ agenda for the overall development of the country and its relationships with the international community and particularly with Somalia’s neighbours and friends.